Other information for publishers

What is CiP?

Cataloguing-in-Publication (CiP) is a service operated by the National Library of Australia to provide a catalogue record for a publication before it is published. The CiP entry includes information such as title, author, ISBN and subject headings. This information is put online, making it widely searchable via internet search engines or library databases. Libraries and the bookselling sector use this information to select and place advance orders for forthcoming publications.

Is there a legal requirement to include a CiP entry in a book?

CiP is a free service and there is no legal obligation to include a CiP entry in any publication. The benefit of the service is that CiP information is widely searchable and routinely used by libraries and the bookselling sector for selection and to place advance orders for forthcoming publications.

How long does the application process take?

It usually takes 10 working days to process an application. Sometimes it will take less then 10 working days, depending on the number of applications awaiting processing. Detailed information about the application process are in the CiP user guide

How do I attach a document to my application?

If you have attachments that you would like to send to the Cataloguing in Publication team please select “Yes” at the opportunity to “Attach files” about mid way through the form. After completing the rest of the application and pressing the submit button you will be shown a page called “New Question Confirmation”. At the bottom of this page you are able to upload the attachments.

Browse to the appropriate file on your computer and press “Upload”. This has been successful when the file displays against the title “Question attachment #1”. More than one file can be uploaded, just repeat the upload process. In total, attachments can be up to 8 MB in size.

What types of publications are included in the CiP service?

The Cataloguing-in-Publication (CiP) service covers new and revised editions of books published in Australia.

To be eligible for the service, publications should be published in Australia, be relevant to a wide audience with strong information content and likely to be acquired and made available by Australian libraries. For more details see CiP service eligibility

Should I apply a CIP for a new or revised edition?

Any new or updated editions with a new valid ISBN are eligible to apply for a new CiP entry for the title. For more details see CiP service eligibility

How does the CiP service relate to copyright?

In Australia, copyright is automatically granted upon creation of a work. There is no relationship between the CiP service and copyright. Copyright information can be obtained from:

How can I get a catalogue record for a book which is already published?

The CiP service only covers works that are not yet published. Works which are already published receive a full catalogue record once received by the National Library on legal deposit. The record is also included in the Australian National Bibliographic Database searchable on Trove.

What do I do after the book is published?

You are legally required to deposit a copy of your work with the National Library of Australia and the relevant state deposit library(s).

Why do we need your contact details?

Your personal details are collected so we can contact you about your CiP application and forward you the completed CiP record. We do not disclose personal information contained in the CiP application form to any external third party.

If my book has more than one author or contributor, how are they added to the CiP entry?

International cataloguing standards and rules are applied when recording information about authors or other contributors in the CiP entry.

The role and number of authors and contributors determine how information is added to the CiP entry. Only one author, essentially the principal author, will appear at the head of the entry with others appear within the record. The section explanation of data in the CiP entry in the user guide contain more details.

Why do you want to know the author’s middle name and year of birth?

We use the information about middle names, married names, maiden names and year of birth to distinguish between authors and contributors with similar or the same name. The distinction amongst like names assists library users to search for publications when only the author’s name is known and there are many publications with the name, such as John Smith.

Why does the CiP entry begin each title word, except the first word, with a lower case letter?

Capitalisation in the CiP entry follows international cataloguing standards used by libraries. The initial letter of the title is capitalised with some exceptions to this practice. Publishers should print the CiP entry in the form in which it was returned to them using the capitalisation and punctuation set out in the entry.

Where should the CiP entry appear?

The CiP entry should be printed in the book on the reverse side of the title page.

The entry must appear under the heading: National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry.

The CiP may be ranged left or centered to suit publishers' individual design arrangements and there are two options for printing the CiP are displayed in the CiP User Guide

For electronic publications, the CiP entry should appear near the title and other publication details.

How many subject headings are included in a CiP record?

The number of headings included will vary depending on the work being catalogued. Generally, two or three subject headings are provided, with a maximum of six included if appropriate. The aim is to assign subject headings that best summarise the overall contents of the work. For some categories of material such as works of fiction or poetry by a single author, a subject heading may not be included as no clearly definable topic is apparent. The information provided by publishers regarding a work’s subject matter such as contents page, preface or publisher description is required in order to assign subject headings.

Why do you use American spelling in your CiP entry?

When we create CiP entries we use the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) thesaurus, which uses American spellings and terminology. The thesaurus is widely adopted by libraries in English-speaking countries including Australia.

What is an ISBN?

CiP applications must include a valid Australian International Standard Book Number (ISBN). An ISBN is a unique code which identifies published works.